


Life

by MGstars



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drama & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-07 19:36:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13441848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MGstars/pseuds/MGstars
Summary: They belong to two different worlds, yet they chose to be happy together. But when death is threatening to take her away from him forever, Robin can't find it in himself to let Regina go, even if it means breaking all the rules. Outlawqueen AU





	1. Afterlife

"Regina?"

She slightly turns her head, trying to open her eyes, sighing weakly in answer to his call. He brings a hand to her forehead, winces at how warm it is, especially to his cold hand. Regina's skin has always felt particularly warm to him, especially since his body is as cold as ice, but now, he has to force himself not to pull away, because she is a living fire burning the inside of his palm.

"I'm here, my love. I'm sorry, I didn't know! I came as soon as I heard."

She smiles, leans into him, into the soothing and fresh feeling he brings her, attempting to open her eyes again, and this time she succeeds, stares at his beautiful features, his shining blue eyes tainted with evident concern. She weakly brings a hand to his face, digging into her own strength, the little she has left, trying to sound confident, but she knows he knows her enough to read between the lines.

"That's fine, I knew you would. I-"

She breaks into a cough fit, a hard one, one that makes her whole body painfully shake, her hand coming to cover her mouth as she curls up on her side in an attempt to lessen the pain. She feels his hand on her back, another one on her cheek, a strength pulling her forward and she meets the softness of his chest a moment later, lets him surround her with his care and tenderness, the love he carries for her, the infinite loyalty he shows towards her despite the different worlds they belong to.

"Damn, Regina! How did this happen? You should have told me, my love. The healer said you've been carrying this disease for a while. I could have helped! I would have found a way to heal you."

She takes a moment after her cough has stopped, savors the comfort of his embrace, swallows a couple of time to ease the tingling in her throat.

"Because I've seen it before, and I know there's nothing you can do to stop it." She murmurs, trying to reason with him but she knows it's pointless. He's blinded by his love for her, and she was trying to protect him, but he's too stubborn to let her.

He's an immortal.

She's a human.

Being together is against the laws of nature. How could they expect this to work, when he already lost his entire family to death? When his wife and child died of illness, just like she herself is now. When he stood powerless in front of their graves, knowing that he arrived too late, that they never saw his face one last time before closing their eyes forever.

She hid the truth from him because she couldn't bear the thought of him going through the same hell again. Because she couldn't stand the sight of his beautiful eyes obscured with the knowledge that he was going to lose her too. She loves him too much for that.

"I'm going to find a cure." He assures firmly, thumb caressing her cheek. "I am not losing you, Regina. I promise you, I will find a way."

Robin closes his eyes, overwhelmed with his own feelings, the tragedy of their lives. Their story is beautiful, a dream come true, a life of expectations finally fulfilling, the feeling of being complete sating them both.

He remembers the first time he saw her.

A slim figure walking in a market, smiling, making small talk from time to time, apparently knowing everyone. He was hidden from day light inside his carriage, but the moment his eyes caught the sight of her, there was nothing else.

Nothing but her thin, slightly bronzed skin, dark eyes showing a good and bright soul, long curly black hair falling in waves over her shoulders, her smile so wide it was illuminating her face.

Over the next days, he stopped at this exact spot all day long, waiting until he could see her again, until the simple sight of her could fill his cold heart with the purest of warmth, the most soothing of feelings.

And she did.

Every day, at the same hour, she was there, at the market, just as beautiful and radiant as the first time he saw her, just as mesmerizing, and after weeks of observing her, Robin took a step forward.

He had asked his servant to learn her name, her social status, anything he could find about her life. He learned that she was named Regina, that she was living with her father in a place smaller than his bedroom, and was working day and night to provide enough money to feed the two of them, her father being too old to keep working.

So one day, months after the first time he saw her, as night had fallen and he was finally allowed to step outside his carriage, he knocked on her door.

He, a powerful Lord, Robin of Locksley, feared by his enemies, having no such thing as friends, only acquaintances required for business, knocked on the door of a no one, a young woman named Regina Mills, living in a small village by the border of his land, in a house the size of a small shop.

Having your heart as cold as ice allows you to keep emotions at bay, and since his wife and son died, since he signed the pact allowing him to become an immortal and rid his heart and soul of this eternal grief, never did he ever feel the pounding of the beating organ against his ribcage. But that day, as his acute hearing caught the soft sound of her boots against the floor, the brush of her skin against the doorknob, the way she held her breath as she opened the door, he swore that he felt it again. Something he had forgotten how it felt like. A heartbeat.

_"Yes?" Regina questioned, not opening the door fully, a soft smile on her lips despite the late hour and strange presence facing her._

_"Regina Mills?" Robin asked, although knowing very well that she was her, the woman invading his thoughts since the first time he laid eyes on her._

_"That's me. May I help you, sir?"_

_With all the audacity he possessed, with all the kindness he could find and had forgotten how to use, he replied "I think I am the one who can help you, Milady."_

It was settled.

He offered her a position in his castle, a place as a servant, yes, but promising her in return to take care of her and her father, to make sure they would be given everything they needed, and that she could also spend time by his side, enjoying the last years of the old man's life with him, and not away at work killing herself to bring just enough food to feed him, and not herself, and hiding the truth from him.

He stayed true to his word.

Robin allowed Regina to spend as much time with her father as she wanted, as long as the tasks he was asking her to do were fulfilled. She never missed one. She always, from the beginning to the end, made sure that his requests were satisfied.

From keeping him company on a particularly lonely evening, to sewing the flaws in his curtains, forbidding day light to enter his private library. From cleaning his favorite room from floor to ceiling, to accepting a walk with him at night, in the large gardens surrounding the castle.

She asked him once, why he was requesting from her a presence more than what an actual servant was supposed to do, especially considering that he had other people there to serve him.

_"When I first knocked on your door, I lied to you…" he watched her brow knit in confusion. "I'd been watching you for a while, Regina." Before she moved away, frightened by his revelation, he paused their walk, holding up his hands, speaking calmly, trying to be reassuring. "I saw you, at the market, several times. I remember your smile, more than anything. An elusive but satisfying smile I thought about every time I closed my eyes."_

_He took her hand hesitantly, careful not to scare her, surprised when he found her looking at him with a serenity many people don't possess, with kindness in her eyes and an endless trust. "I am a lonely man, Regina. I own a castle, and a large land. I have servants bending to my will, more money than I can count. I am not the kindest man, and I've made a lot of enemies over the years. But I am alone. I have no friend, no family. I was honest when I told you I would take care of your father, and you. I meant every word. Because I've seen many lands, met many people. But the sincerity I can read right now in your eyes, the care you're showing to others, that, I haven't found in a very long time. I was selfish when I asked you to come here. I did it so you could be safe, so you could live a good life. But by being here, you took away some of that loneliness that I was burdened with. You restored life into this old castle. I am not asking you more than what you're doing, Regina, because just your presence here, is already everything. It's more than I thought I would ever be granted with. You are very dear to me, Milady. I swear to you, I will never do anything to hurt you, but I will also do everything within my power to make sure that you are safe, and live the life that you deserve."_

_Regina listened, silent, calm, her fingers closed over his, attentive. When he was done, she looked down to their linked hands, fingers brushing the back of it, bringing them to her lips and pressing a kiss there, looking him in the eyes when she simply said "Your hands are cold."_

From that day, their relationship changed. She was seeking him, even when he wasn't calling for her. She was taking his hand, squeezing softly, bringing him comfort with a simple touch. She opened herself up to him, as he did to her.

Until one day, she found him in front of two graves, a large bouquet in hand, fingers brushing the top of the stones.

She was about to leave, probably realized it wasn't her place to be there, but he had heard her before she even entered the small private vault underneath his castle.

_"I don't mind you staying." He said, his back on her, his stance the same as usual._

_She climbed down the last stairs, still hesitant. "Are you sure?"_

_He turned to face her then, holding up his hand for her, inviting. "Yes. Let me introduce you."_

_She walked her way to him, taking his hand, stopping by his side and feeling his icy palm settle at the base of her spine. She didn't know back then why his skin always felt so cold, but she never minded._

_She faced two gray stones carved with names, and a drawing beneath each one. A girl, and a boy. An adult, and a child. A mother, and her son. Turning to Robin, the pain buried deep down but still present in his eyes, she understood. His wife, and his son._

_"This is Marian, and Roland." He told her with a voice carrying an evident guilt, but the pain seemed less sharp that it must have once been. "We were a family. A happy one. At a time when this castle was filled with a child's laugh, and expressions of love. I gave them all I had, and they were my whole life. Until I lost them."_

_She looked at him, sympathetic. "What happened?"_

_"I was traveling, far more than I am now. I was across the land, when the news reached me that they had fallen sick. Dysentery, they said. By the time I came back, it was too late. Half the castle had died, and they had been the first ones to be taken."_

_She took his hand, holding it between her own, kind, soothing, empathizing his pain._

_"I never got to say goodbye." He confessed. "I never got to be here when they needed me the most."_

_And Regina understood. She realized why he was making sure that she was never too far away from her father, that every time the old man's strength were faltering, he was sending for her, asking her to come back immediately. At this moment, she had never felt more grateful for anything in life, than the presence of this man by her sides._

_"I'm sorry, Robin." She said truthfully. And then, because she knew they were both thinking of the role he now played in her life, she added "Thank you."_

Regina looks at him with the same expression she was wearing that day, forcing through her raspy voice. "I didn't want you to suffer another loss. I didn't want you to know I was dying."

"When did you realize?" He asks, bringing her hand to his lips.

"A little before you told me you loved me." She admits sheepishly.

Robin closes his eyes, his forehead resting against her hand "Oh, Regina…" He looks up, the back of his fingers caressing her cheek. "My love, you should have told me."

"But I-"

Her chest shudders and quakes as a cough fit takes her, her whole body trembling, a painful cry escaping her lips, a tear slipping free. Robin is quick to wrap his arms around her, to hold her, rubbing her back, pressing kisses to her temple, her forehead, not letting go of her until she's still in his arms, head resting against his chest, breath even.

How could their beautiful story turn into this nightmare?

_"Robin?" Regina knocked on his door, waiting. Where has he been? "Robin, are you here?"_

_She frowned, pulled on the knob, finding the door open. The room was entirely plunged into darkness._

_Stepping inside, she walked to the window, grabbing a curtain, pulling on it to let the outside light enter and allow her to see her surroundings._

_A sudden scream pierced through the entire room, a painful growl followed by a loud thud, and Regina startled, turning around quickly enough to catch the sight of a figure rolling from the bed to fall on the other side, hidden from daylight._

_"No light!" She heard, recognizing Robin's voice, hurrying in closing the curtain, rushing to his side._

_"Are you alright?" She questioned with concern and guilt, hands hovering above his over his face._

_"Leave!" He ordered between gritted teeth, his voice a harsh groan._

_"Let me take a look!" She insisted, but he pushed at her hand._

_"Leave!"_

_But she saw him. The moment he removed his hand, she saw it._

_His skin._

_His teeth._

_The wrinkle expression of his face, torn by a malediction rendering him allergic to light, to love, to life. The long and sharp teeth allowing him to feed, his thirst never quenched, his struggle a daily one._

_The way she froze in front of him didn't go unnoticed, as well as the fact that her fingers were covering his, closing over them and slowly, kindly, forcing them away, revealing his face._

_"Don't-" he warned, but the surprise of her gesture had taken away his resolve._

_"Let me see, Robin." And then, to reassure him, she added with a kind smile "Let me see you."_

_He relented, raising his eyes to look at her, baring his face to her innocent eyes, her tender fingers brushing over the strange relief of his features, the kindness of her gaze and attitude washing over him._

_"Why didn't you tell me?" She questioned, helping him rise and then sit on the bed, taking place next to him, noticing the way he repeatedly glanced at her neck, swallowing hard and forcing himself to meet her eyes._

_"I didn't want to scare you."_

_Regina chuckled, a honest, genuine chuckle sending a pang of love through his entire body, even though it was said to be impossible._

_"I am not scared."_

_"You should. In days like this, I could-"_

_"I know you won't hurt me." She cut him._

_"How can you be so sure? I am not even certain how long I will be succeeding in resisting the need to feed from you."_

_"Because no one has done more for me, than you have. You may be a creature of the night, but you're a good man, Robin of Locksley. And I am not afraid of you."_

xxx

He has taken place on the bed next to her, lying on his back. She's curled up against him, breathing soundly, exhausted, still feverish and shivering, coughing regularly.

"Do you think there's something after life?" She asks, her eyelids closed, body relaxed in his embrace.

"I don't know, my love. Death isn't something I'm supposed to know. But I hope there is."

"I'm going to see my father again." She breathes, trying to sound relieved, but he knows she's as scared by all of this as he is.

"He must be hating me so much."

She lifts her head to look at him, frowning. "Why's that?"

Robin pushes a strand of hair away from her face tenderly.

"Because I failed. I promised him I would take care of you, and I failed."

_Robin crossed the yard at fast speed, heading straight to their room. He just came back from a long trip, and he had barely set a foot outside his carriage that his butler had warned him._

_It was Henry's last moments. Regina's father._

_So he ran as fast as he could, only slowed down when he entered the corridor leading to their private apartment, finding himself hesitating before opening the door, peaking his head inside._

_And there they were._

_Henry, as pale as snow, lying on his bed, breath slow, eyes already grey. And Regina, sitting right by his side, bringing a wet cloth to his forehead, her body straight. It's only when he stepped closer that he heard it. The small, almost imperceptible sound of her tears rolling down her cheeks._

_Without a word, he came to stand behind her, and although he had made no sound, she spoke in a strangled voice._

_"It's the end."_

_He said nothing, but brought a hand to her shoulder, and she covered it with her own._

_"Robin?"_

_The weak voice startled them both, making them look up at the man struggling to speak, trying to keep his eyes open while he was talking._

_Regina bent forward, urging him to save his strength, but he shook his head to shush her "Take care of her…"_

_"Daddy-" Regina argued, but her father cut her again._

_"Protect her. She's the most precious thing I have."_

_Robin squeezed Regina's shoulder, making her look at him with confusion, kneeling next to the old man, taking his hand in his._

_"I give you my word, Henry. I will do everything in my power to make sure she lives a long and happy life."_

_It's only then, with his fears appeased, a weak Thank you breathed between two painful exhales, that Henry's head fell to the side slowly, his eyelids closing, features relaxed._

_And that Regina broke apart. She let go of her usual reserve, burst into tears, almost bending in half over her father's dead body, but a presence anchored her to this world. Strong, powerful arms winding around her and supporting her as she was grieving the loss of her family, of everything, everyone, she had lost. The only thing helping her through it, was Robin's presence by her side, and the assurance that he would keep his promise, until the end._

xxx

She has fallen asleep.

Finally, after hours of struggle, of horrible cough fits making her feel like her ribcage was about to break, Regina fell asleep.

Robin is propped on his elbow next to her, fingers tracing a lazy path up and down her arm, sometimes tangling in her silky hair now covered with sweat, due to her feverish state.

He hates this.

He hates this situation. The fact that she felt like she had to keep everything to herself, including her fears, to protect him from burying yet another love. The fact that she's the one dying when she deserves the world. The fact that their story has just begun, and it's already coming to an end.

Not now.

Not like this.

Robin asked every man and woman working for him, every person acquainted with the malediction that stroke him, to find a way to save her. He ordered, actually. Because he made the solemn promise, that if Regina was dying, he would end the life of every person he could find, until the pain of his heartbreak would stop. And they knew he would do it.

In the meantime, Robin doesn't leave her side. He stays with her every second of every day, not missing one more moment, fearing every time that it would be the last.

He bends forward, presses a kiss to her forehead, lingering a little.

How did it come to this? It had been so perfect, even since the beginning. Especially since their first kiss…

_He admired the way she turned around, looking at herself in the mirror, not bothered in the slightest by the fact that his reflection wasn't there, and that's just something else he loves about her. She accepts him without hesitation, with no fear, no conditions._

_"This dress is absolutely beautiful, Robin." She exclaimed, in awe. "You shouldn't have bought it for me."_

_"Since you don't have to stay here now that your father is gone, it's only fair that you have new clothes allowing you to go back to the other world. I can give you titles, properties, money. Everything you need to create the life you truly want."_

_She turned to him, smiling, ducking her head to the side as she challenged._

_"And how do you know what I truly want, Robin?"_

_Robin swallowed. He knew what he wanted her to be, but he was unable to picture her feeling the same. It'd be selfish anyway, locking her here with a man not dead, but not really alive either, unable to give her the life she deserved._

_"I guess that you want to be free, Milady."_

_Regina walked closer, her smile growing, sparkles glistening in her eyes._

_"Free?" She questioned._

_"Yes."_

_She took his chin between her thumb and forefinger, sliding her hand to caress his cheek, cupping the base of his neck._

_"What if I have a different definition of freedom than the one you have?"_

_Watching her move closer, he put a hand to her forearm, stopping her._

_"Regina-"_

_"Don't." She said softly. "I know you want this."_

_"But you are-"_

_"About to kiss you. And you are not going to stop me."_

_And before he could really comprehend what she was saying, her lips were pressed to his, flush against his chest, hand wrapped around his neck, holding him to her but there was no need, he gave willingly into it, answering the kiss with a fervor he wasn't sure he still had._

_It was only when she pulled back, a few seconds later, lips swollen and breath short, that she voiced it clearly. "I want to stay here, Robin. I want to stay here with you." And then, just to make sure he understood "I choose you. I choose you over the rest of the world."_

Robin shakes his head.

This is too much.

This is unfair.

He would give his life for this woman, would trade everything he has if it means she could live, even without him.

For the first time in years, he feels something raise in him, something he hasn't done in a long time. Something he thought was impossible. But yet, Regina made the impossible become possible.

So Robin cried.

Surprising himself, he feels tears beginning to raise and gather in his eyes, and Robin allows them out. Nothing matters anymore, there are no rules left. Regina resuscitated his dying heart, she warmed his icy skin, made him feel breathless, happy, amazing. She made him laugh until his ribs hurt, made him discover the beauty of a walk in the moonlight, when the moon was a curse to him.

They spent so many wonderful moments together, and he refuses to accept the fact that soon, it will all be over.

_"Does it bother you?" He asked, watching her settle flat on her belly next to him, propped on her elbows, slightly turned to look at him, her beautiful bare back and shoulder revealed to him as the sheet slid along her soft skin._

_"What?"_

_"What I am. To so many, I am a monster."_

_"They're idiots."_

_"And you're too good." He said kindly, brushing a strand of hair away, tucking it behind her ear._

_"I don't see a monster when I look at you, Robin. I only see the man I love."_

_He froze, startled, not expecting this last sentence, especially not voiced as an evidence. He found himself suddenly at a loss for words, and she must have noticed, because she chuckled._

_"Don't be so surprised! I thought it was obvious."_

_"What was?"_

_"That I am in love with you."_

_He stayed silent, staring at her without moving, without even trying to speak, because he knew he would have failed. He was in love with her since the beginning, there was no questioning that, but saying the words wasn't a step he was ready to cross._

_"You don't have to say anything." She reassured, pressing her naked body to his, always smiling "I just want you to understand why I don't mind this…" She tapped his chest playfully with the tip of her finger "your cold skin…" glanced at the candles surrounding them and lightening up the room which curtains are closed "the darkness you constantly live in…" she lifts her hand to his face, caressing his hairline "the man hiding behind the mask."_

_Her eyes met his again, and she concluded, with all the sincerity she possessed, and Robin knew that she meant every word._

_"I love you, Robin of Locksley. All of you. Even your darkest sides."_

xxx

Regina wakes up to an empty bedroom. She looks around, and Robin is nowhere to be seen.

Good, she thinks. He needs a break from all of this. He shouldn't be looking after her as she's living her last moments. She shouldn't make him endure one more ordeal, one more heartbreak.

She remembers the moment she realized what was happening, that the illness slowly growing in her wasn't just a banal cold, but a dangerous disease, from which she might not pull through. One that she had watched her mother and sister die from. One that had been in her blood for years, only coming to the surface now.

She remembers waiting for weeks and keeping it from Robin, recognizing the symptoms with each new one appearing, trying to hide her concern between soft smiles and tender touches, warm embraces and passionate kisses.

She remembers his declaration, the proclamation of his love for her, the way she felt, actually felt, his heart beating beneath her palm resting on his chest, even though he told her it hasn't been for decades before he met her.

That's why she decided to keep it a secret.

_"I love you, Regina." He confessed. "I love you with everything I have. You make me feel alive, something I thought to be impossible when I lost my wife and son, when I was hit by this curse. And yet it happened." He took her face between his hands "You happened. And I am the happiest man in the world."_

_From that moment, when she saw his heart open in front of her, she knew she preferred to make him believe she was well, than having him waiting for death to take her, praying every day that it wasn't the last one._

_She knew there was no cure for her illness. She knew all his money wouldn't save her._

_So she lied._

_For months, when he was worrying about a lingering cough, an unexpected shiver or particularly warm forehead, she assured him that she was fine, it was nothing._

_She went to the village, bought some medication she knew had helped her sister with the symptoms, and treated herself, knowing very well it was only a smoke screen, that inside her, her body was starting to die._

She takes a deep breath, a shaky one, but realizes her mistake immediately.

The cough breaking her chest is more violent than the others she experienced, and this time she doesn't manage to calm it down. She fights to make it stop, but ends up choking on her own mucus, feeling it fill her lungs and throat and mouth, suffocating her. She feels panic rise in her, blindly grasping at the sheets, the pillows, everything around her, knocking her bedside table over, the glass of her cup crashing on the floor, the bowl of soup shattering in million pieces, her fist hammering against the wall, knowing that he will hear her.

She's ready to die, but she's too scared to die alone.

xxx

Robin closes his eyes in relief. They found it!

A cure! A solution to their problem! A way for him and Regina to be together forever, until the end of times.

Just like he wanted to, since the first day he laid eyes on her.

Just like he had planned to ask her to, even though back then he was well aware that she would have stayed mortal and he was bound to see her age, and someday, die.

If he had known, he would have never left the castle…

_"This one is perfect!" He said, turning the diamond once more between his fingers, examining it closely._

_That was it! The day! After two weeks of travels, he was finally going to return home to his beautiful Regina, and, against all odds, ask her to marry him. She was going to say yes, of that he was certain._

_Robin paid for the merchant, waved the man outside his carriage where he climbed in to show Robin his treasures –a trick he found to intimidate people and not make them question the fact that he was never stepping outside his carriage in the middle of the day-, a smile to his lips, the contentment of a man in love settling upon him._

_His Regina._

_She was so perfect it felt too good to be true. After years of living together, months of closeness, weeks of declarations, he now was sure. She was meant to be his, just as he was meant to be hers._

_He entered his castle with a lightness of mind he hadn't felt in a very long time, not noticing the lack of servants welcoming him, and he crossed the corridors without stopping once, heading for where he knew she was waiting for him._

_The library._

_Her favorite place._

_He knocked on the door, didn't wait for her to invite him inside, looked up from the floor and-_

_He faced an empty room, and he frowned, a strange feeling resembling uneasiness settling within him._

_One that was confirmed when he heard the voice of the healer behind him._

_And his world collapsed when the man told him the truth._

Even today, despite the time he spent by Regina's side, despite her several attempts to explain him her reasons, he still thinks she was wrong. And he's sure, that she knows she was too.

"So all I have to do is to make her drink some of my blood, and then bite her so I drink hers, and that will be it?" He asks again, wanting to make sure he hasn't mistaken.

"Yes, master. As long as she's alive when it's done"

"And it's safe for her?"

"If you stop on time. If you drink all her blood, she won't survive."

"Alright, then I-"

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

Robin freezes, halts his sentence, focusing.

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

He turns on his heels and leaves the room so fast he almost stumbles, catches himself at the doorjamb, running as fast as he can, crossing the castle and storming into the room as Regina is starting to lose consciousness, mouth opened in a vain attempt to breathe, hand wrapped around her throat, but Robin can hear that she's failing, and he rushes to her side, gathering her into his arms.

"Regina!"

Her eyes are wide with fear, her lips losing their color, her fingers gripping him the second he makes contact, head resting in the crook of his neck as she vainly tries to get some air, but she seems calmer since he arrived.

"My love, look at me!"

He forces her chin up, her mouth closing easily, her eyes falling close, body sagging against him as her grip on him lessens, and suddenly, Robin is seized by fear.

" _No!_ No, Regina, look at me!" He pushes her hair away from her forehead, adjusting her in his arms "Don't leave me! Please, my love!"

He doesn't think.

His face turned into the monster he hates so much, and he doesn't hesitate one second, digs a tooth into his wrist, tears falling down his cheeks as he presses the cut to Regina's lips, watching his blood dripping into her mouth, but she doesn't react, doesn't drink it.

"Come on, my love! Come on! Drink this, please! It will save you!"

He trembles, unable to keep his mind clear, letting a few more drops falling into her throat before removing his wrist, hoping that it's enough, getting a good hold on her, holding his breath before bringing his canines close to the skin of her neck, his eyelids falling shut as he tastes for the first time in decades, the fresh flesh and blood of a human.

Thirst takes him, overwhelming him, hunger, and power, and a frenetic instinct screaming at him to keep going, to empty her of her blood, to quench his thirst and throw the body afterwards, but his mind is quick to remind him whose blood he's drinking.

He pulls back all of a sudden, a bit stunned, feeling dizzy, a strength he had forgotten about coming back at him, and he lets go of her as carefully as he can, taking a few steps back, catching himself to a nearest wall. It takes him all his willpower, all his conviction, all the love he has for her and is pounding in his ribcage, to force him back to the surface, to help him coming back from the murderous instinct, the primal need to feed, to avenge, to kill. To make sure that everyone pays the price for the death of the woman he loves to the point that life doesn't matter to him anymore.

But he stops.

Despite his promise to kill everyone around, he stops.

He stops, because he remembers her, and her voice, her kindness, how she cared for others more than she did for herself. How she believed in him more than he ever will. How she begged him to accept her death, and to love again. Something he knows to be beyond his power, but at least sparing the lives of innocent, is something he can do.

xxx

He spends several hours staring at her in silence.

Now that her body is cleaned and carefully dressed, now that her hair is brushed and her makeup done, she looks like she's asleep.

She's lying inside an opened coffin made of glass, in his crypt, where he can lock himself with her for hours, for days, for weeks if needed, crying for an unbearable loss, grieving the death of the most amazing human being he ever met.

She seems so peaceful like this, so calm. She is as stunning as ever, even in her death. At her finger, Robin has slipped the ring he had planned to offer her as an engagement ring before their love story turned into dust, and he can't help staring at it.

He's been here for hours, refuses to let her go, refuses to look away.

Until there's a knock at the door, a voice calling his name, and he turns his head slightly to scream at whoever is disturbing him to 'Get the hell away from here!'.

So he doesn't see it.

He doesn't see it, but he hears it.

A soft, almost imperceptible brush of fingertips against a rigid surface. When Robin looks back at Regina, he stills, not wanting to admit it, not wanting to believe it to be real when it could only be an illusion.

But it's not.

Her fingers move, and he looks up at her face.

It's small, but it's noticeable.

And before he has time to realize, Regina opens her eyes.


	2. Lifeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina wakes up, and Robin discovers that he hadn't anticipated who he would be facing. Will their love be stronger than the darkness?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second part of this story. The tone is slightly different, but I hope you'll like it nonetheless. If you're interested, this reveals a bit more of Robin's past.   
> Don't hesitate to share your thoughts with me!

Robin freezes, eyes opening wide as he sees her eyelids flutter open, her fingers move, and for a moment, he just stares at her. He stares, and then realizes, his feet leading him to her, hand outstretched forward, dying to touch her, to reach her, to meet her eyes again.

"Regina?"

His voice is hesitant, a bit shy, but so full of hope, so much tainted with love that he feels like his own heart is crying out with joy in his chest.

But there's no other answer than a slow, very low breathing, the sound of lungs filling with air, a chest rising and falling, a fist closing.

Robin tempers his excitement, holds his own breath, not looking away from her. He sends his hand forward, and it covers her forearm gently.

His mistake.

Regina's whole body tense, her arm moving away quickly, a low groan escaping her throat, and before Robin has realized, she has broken the sides of the coffin made of glass, sitting straight and jumping out of it with a painful cry. Her gaze is erratic, her movements quick and unsure, her attitude clearly showing fear and confusion.

She's lost, Robin realizes.

In the despair of his pain, in the loss of her, he forgot. He forgot how it was like. How he woke up.

Terrified and confused, his instinct awake, his senses acute, his mind overwhelmed.

So he walks carefully in her direction, making sure to be quiet. She's curled up in a corner of the room, trembling hands covering her ears, breath heavy, eyes screwed shut.

It hurts.

Seeing her like this, hurts. But at the same time, she's alive. Well, not  _alive_ , but not dead. She's  _here_. She's with him.

He crouches in front of her, forcing himself not to touch her, even though he's dying to. Damn, she only died a few hours ago, and he misses her more than he thought he ever would.

For a moment, he just waits. He gives her time, lets her adjust, realize, understand. And then he moves. His hand is only an inch from her, his breath held with anxiety, his heart swelling with love, but before he makes contact, she tenses, reacts sharply, swapping at his hand with a force he's not used to be confronted to. In less than two seconds, she has moved to her feet, her fingers closed over his throat, lifting him from the floor and pinning him to the wall across the room, fingernails digging into his skin.

"Regina-" he attempts, but his windpipe is almost completely crushed under the pressure of her palm.

"What have you done to me?" she spits, and Robin startles.

Her voice has changed entirely. Her voice is deep, her tone is harsh, strong, angry and definitely aggressive, not at all the one he's used to hear from her.

"I-"

"What have you done?" she screams, cutting him off again, completely unaware of his inability to speak.

Robin focuses, gathers his strength, and with one and fast movement, grabs her wrist and removes it from his throat, falling to his feet and holding her tight.

"I saved you!" he argues, fighting his raspy voice and lack of air, recovering quickly. "I saved you from death!"

Regina closes her eyes as he speaks, letting out another painful groan when he understands that even the sound of his voice is too much for her right now.

But she's just as quick to recover as he is.

"It doesn't feel like saving." She argues, clearly struggling to get everything under control. "What is happening to me?"

"You're changing, my love. You're transforming."

"Into what?"

"Into what I am."

Regina's eyes snap up, staring at him in disbelief "You're kidding me?" and then, she destroys him a bit more when she adds "You turned me into a monster?"

Robin ignores the invisible slap he just received, closes his fists to stay in control "I turned you into an immortal."

But before he can react, something happens. Something that makes everything worse.

"Master?"

The shy voice of one of the lads working for him resonates in the room as he creeks the door open, and if the piercing sound has Regina taking a step back and covering her ears again, he knows exactly what just made her head snap up and her pupils become dilated.

Blood.

Thirst.

The sound of blood rushing through the man's veins, the beating of vessels in his neck, all of these are too appealing for a newborn vampire.

He barely has time to jump between them, catches Regina before she reaches the young man, fights her newly given strength and thirst.

"Get out!" He screams to his employee, petrified in the entrance. "Get out of here now!"

As he says that, the sound of his voice resonates in the small room, and despite her evident hunger and eagerness to grab the man and empty him from his blood, Regina freezes, lets out a ragging scream, losing her focus for a second and Robin uses this moment to project her against a wall across the room, giving himself a second to think, waiting for her next move.

Luckily, she stays still, appears to be conscious but a bit stunned (he controlled the strength he pushed her with, but she did hit a wall after all).

Then, she slowly, very slowly, looks up at him.

And smiles.

But it's not Regina's smile.

At the corner of her mouth, on each side, there are long, thin, and very, extremely sharp canines.

The soft features of her face have been replaced by a crinkled expression, one that he knows very much for carrying the same, and if his heart is still beating, it is also slowly crushing in his chest.

What did he do?

"You really thought you were gonna keep your sweet little girlfriend?" Robin startles, the voice being harsh, rough, aggressive, and he doesn't move, just stares while Regina gets up to face him. "You thought she was so _pure_  she was going to escape this curse? That she was going to beat it?"

"No." He argues. "I just wanted to save you."

"Me?" She laughs, mocking him openly. "You didn't save  _her_. You freed _me_. You let me out." She takes a step towards him "the monster behind the mask. That's how she was calling it, didn't she?" In front of his silence, she smirks. "Yeah. The only person who had faith in you. The only one who saw beauty in this…  _disgusting_  thing that you are." She spits.

Robin struggles to stay calm. He knows these words aren't Regina's. He knows that's the monster talking. All he needs to do, is bring the woman he knows back to the surface.

How, is what he needs to figure out.

It took him months, years, decades to overcome his thirst for blood and vengeance. Alone in the world, after murdering every survivor to the illness that had taken his castle, after feeding from their blood and tearing their bodies apart, after realizing that what he thought was only a cure for his heartbreak was actually a malediction turning him into what people call a vampire, a beast only answering to the call of blood and death, he became a loner, an animal, living in the castle which still had blood on its walls. After all the bloodbaths he had been responsible for for decades, after seeing the face of a child he had just fed from stare at him even in his death, reminding him of his family, reminding him of  _Roland_ , it had taken all his will, but he had been determined to stop.

And he had found no other solution but to lock himself in his castle, closing all doors and curtains, screaming and punching walls whenever the thirst was too strong to bear.

He had been close to kill himself more than once then, to open the curtains at noon in the middle of summer and let the nature do its job, getting rid of him instantly.

But he never could.

Until someone came to help him.

" _Lord Locksley?"_

_Robin approached the close door, the pulse of blood running in the man's veins calling him even through a thick wooden surface._

" _Lord Locksley, please! Let me in! I can help you."_

" _How?" He asked, curious, closing his fists to fight his instinct._

_It was the first word he spoke in months, and his voice was raspy, weak, and if he was being honest, a little desperate too._

" _Open the door and I'll tell you."_

_His hand was on the knob, ready to pull on it, but there was another question in his mind._

" _Why?"_

_And the unexpected answer. "Because you know me."_

_Curiosity won, and Robin made the door crack as he pulled it open, discovering an old man's face, one that wasn't familiar._

_He was about to ask, but the man just smiled at him, and held his hand between them, his fist opening, palm up, to reveal…_

_Robin took the soldier made of terra cotta, his hand trembling, body tensed from his struggle to being close of fresh food after so much time without feeding, but all his attention was focused on the small, old, and full of flaws object._

_He looked up at the man, who was silently observing him,smiling knowingly._

" _Ethan?" Robin breathed._

_He received a small nod in answer._

" _Hello, Robin."_

" _But… How?"_

" _I'm very old. Obviously not as much as you are, and unlike you my body carries the traces of my age, but I was blessed with a long life."_

" _Why are you back?"_

" _Because I heard that you changed sinceI left when I was a little boy, and I want to help you go back to the man Marian and Roland loved so much."_

" _That man died a long time ago." Robin sighed. "It's too late for me."_

" _It doesn't have to be."_

_Pushing the door open wider, inviting the man in, his son's closest friend who kept for almost a century Roland's favorite toy in souvenir of their friendship, Robin sighed. "After everything I did, all the lives I destroyed, there is no redemption for me."_

" _On the contrary, my friend. Redemption began for you when you chose to stop killing. So there's still hope. You just have to believe you can do it."_

It took months. It took the old man months to make Robin turn back to the man he was before. To prove Robinhe could succeed in his task, Ethan asked his own family made of several generations, to come live at the castle. Together, they made the place work again, cleaned it from floor to ceiling. They helped Robin overcome his thirst for blood, bear human's presence, bury the monster inside.

They also buried Ethan in the small crypt next to Marian and Roland's exactly one year after he showed up to Robin's door in the middle of a summer night.

And his family became, generation after generation, Robin's butler, gardener, cook… The lord provided for them food, a home, money, and their presence, along with the soldier's figure resting on top of the fireplace in the main hall, were a constant reminder of the life he escaped from and never wanted to go back to.

There were good days, and bad ones, when the need to feed was so strong he usually was asking everyone to leave the castle for a few hours, and isolated himself in his room until the feeling had passed.

He never became reallyfriend with Ethan's descendants, but from the beginning until now, there was always a deep respect between them. They knew his secret and were making sure no one else would learn about it, and also that he wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Thinking about a way to get rid of me?" Regina sneers, shaking him off of his thoughts.

Robin stares at her right in the eyes. "I swear. I will find a way to get her back."

She scoffs. "You can keep trying. But I have no intention to go away."

Robin takes a step back, hands ready in his back. "Try me! In the meantime, you're going to stay here. There's no way I'm releasing you in the nature."

"How do you plan to keep me in here?"

"Oh, trust me! Every wall and door of this castle has been reinforced so I could be contained inside in case I was losing control. If you plan to escape, I wish you good luck, because it's not going to happen anytime soon."

She begins running to him with the evident intention to stop him from locking her inside, but Robin is faster, and when he shuts the door she crashes against the other side, fists hammering against the thick wooden structure, screaming his name, cursing, yelling her rage, but he's quick to turn the key in the lock, removing it and shoving it inside his pocket. And then, with the help of the young man who came to check on them a few minutes ago, he secures the mechanism with the several locks placed along the door, stepping back and sighing when Regina's scream and punches on the wood become the only sound resonating around them.

"Tell everyone to stay away from this floor." Robin warns calmly, not looking away from where  _she_  is locked up.

"Alright, master. Do you need something? Can I help you with anything?" The young man pauses, but before Robin answers, his gaze moving from his master to the door, he adds in a whisper "Or help her."

Robin frowns, turns towards him. "You like her, do you, Ezra?"

Ezra shrugs, still not looking at him, jumping a little at a particularly strong bangon the door as Regina keeps trying to open it by force.

"Everyone here does, master. Lady Regina was kind to all of us. Her death affected us all."

Robin fully turns to face him, puts a hand on his shoulder, catching his attention.

"Do you think I was wrong to do what I did?"

"What do you mean?"

"Turning her into… Into what I am. Should I have let her die?"

Ezra's answer is immediate. "No. You did the right thing. You couldn't know that she would-"

"What if I did know?"

"That this was going to happen?"

"Yes. I forgot how I woke up, for me it was so long ago. But when I saw her, I immediately realized. I remembered."

"But you saved her from death."

"I cursed her." Robin corrects, but Ezra shakes his head.

"You're going to free her from this state, and the Regina we all know will be back."

"I hope so. But what if I can't? What if she doesn't change?"

Ezra, despite his young age –he's barely 25- speaks with a voice carrying more maturity than Robin thought he possessed.

"You know, the story of how my ancestor saved you from your demon centuries ago is something that has passed in my family for generations. We all know the story, since we were children. And let me tell you, master, that if Ethan managed to save you with just the memory of your wife and son, the love you share with Lady Regina can overcome anything."

"You seem pretty sure of yourself."

"I am. You've never been happier than when you were together, and among my family, everyone agrees to say that they've never seen anything as strong as what you two share. Your story may be complicated, it's full of ordeals and tests, it's forbidden by the laws of nature but you made it work anyway. In the end, love always win. Love,  _true love_ , is the most powerful magic of all. I believe in you, master. I believe that you can make Lady Regina remember who she is, and I believe that she is strong enough to fight the beast that has taken possession of her. Now, you need to believe it too."

xxx

It's been a week.

It's been a week, and every time he goes to see her, she welcomes him with sharp and harsh words, with punches and screams. Sometimes, he can't even enter the room, because she isn't angry, she's suffering, overwhelmed with everything that she now can feel, can hear, by her hunger and thirst, the lack of escape from the situation.

Every day, he talks to her, either directly or through the door.

He brings her memories of their life together, of her own life before him, of who she was, but until now, all he managed to do was watching her break every single object he brought her, one after the other.

Her screams and calls are constant, his ears vibrating with the sound of her voice, not giving him a moment of rest.

It's killing him.

It's only been a week, and it's killing him.

He knows it's going to take a long time, that just the need to feed is going to stay for several weeks, probably months for a vampire this young who hasn't fed yet, but it feels like it's been years already.

So to give himself some courage, he remembers  _who_  he is trying to bring back. He focuses on how much he loves her, how much he  _needs_  her, how wonderful life is going to be when he'll have her by his side for the rest of his life.

How wonderful it's going to be to spend entire days and nights together, making love, bodies pressed to each other in a perfect communion.

Damn, he misses it so much…

" _I will never ask you to-"_

_She puts her fingers to his lips, shushing him instantly._

" _You think too much." Regina says softly. "Stop trying to analyze what_ I  _want. You can't make decisions for me, Robin. I want this. I want_ you.  _All of you. And I want you to have me." She pauses, cups his cheek, gazing at him with the softest and most determined look he ever saw. "_ All  _of me."_

_She grabs his hand, tenderly puts it on her waist, presses herself further in his embrace, shivering when his thumb dares moving up and down, caressing her slightly through her clothing._

" _Regina," Robin speaks again. "I want this. More than you can imagine, but…"_

" _But what?" She whispers softly, understanding that there's something more about this that's bothering him._

" _Since I became… With my powers… I haven't…" He sighs, looks down, before meeting her eyes again "I haven't been this close to a woman since I transformed. I don't know if I can control my strength, and I don't want to hurt you."_

_Regina puts her hands on each side of his face, holding him gently, looking him in the eyes._

" _Then you won't."_

" _How can you be so sure?"_

" _Because I trust you, Robin. I trust you to be able to control your powers. I trust you to make love to me without hurting me. You only have to trust yourself."_

She was always the one with an endless faith in life, in love, in him.

In  _them_.

She was the one whose smile could bright up a room, able to soothe all the anguish, all the fears.

She made him believe in himself.

And now, he needs to remind her of who she was. Who she  _is_.

So he pushes the door open once more.

He finds her sitting in a corner, apparently comfortable, staring at something in her hands, but he can't quite make what it is.

Robin closes the door behind him, and stays still, waiting. She knows he's here, her senses allow her to locate him and everyone in the entire castle.

"Funnyhow such a small thing can hold so many promises." She says, still not looking at him.

"What are you talking about?"

She turns towards him then, getting up slowly, walking to him. She holds her hand between them, and open her palm. In the crook of her hand, there is a small, tiny, glittering object. One that he recognizes immediately. And judging by the satisfied smile she's wearing, it was exactly what she was expecting.

"I'm sure she would have made a beautiful bride." She says nonchalantly, before adding, closing her hand over the ring as she keeps talking "If you like weddings during the night, that is. A bit sad, isn't it? Imagine everyone falling asleep during the first dance… Or children being scared of the darkness…" She brings a finger to her chin, as if deeply thinking "At the same time, they usually are already in bed when the night falls. Too bad. No kid then!" Then, she looks him square in the eyes "Are you certain that she would have wanted this kind of wedding? After all, every woman dreams of the huge ceremony in the middle of a meadow, with the entire town present."

"Regina isn't any woman."

"Right! There's that! Your infinite faith in her. It's annoying, really. But then I ask you : Where is she? Why isn't she doing something when I'm doing…" She lets the ring drop to the floor, and without a warning, presses her foot on it " _this_?"

Robin reacts too late, and by the time he pushes at her and bends to retrieve the silver jewel, it's split in two, the diamond on the top cracked, though not completely broken.

As he stares, stunned and heartbroken, at what is left of the promise of a better life together, she walks away, going back to sit in her corner, smirking at him.

"Keep dreaming, Robin. But the woman you love isn't coming back."

xxx

For weeks, he tries, takes blows and evil words, receives her meanness without flinching. For weeks, he tries to bring her back to the surface.

For weeks, he fails.

Her thirst for death and blood is overcoming anything, and more than once she almost escaped, almost managed to get out of the room and start what would have been a massacre. A blood feud.

He stopped her each time. But how long can he keep going?

" _Here to talk me through again?" She snapped, ready to jump on him, ready to fight him, to attack him with her fists and sharp tongue._

" _I won't give up, Regina." Robin said calmly._

" _I hope you're very patient then. Because I have no intention to let your girlfriend take control over me."_

_Robin's eyes opened wide, realization suddenly hitting him. "So she's still here?"_

_Her smile turned into a wicked smirk. "Of course she is. She's desperate, trying to fight me. She's begging me not to hurt anyone, especially you. But she's no match. She's too weak."_

_Robin froze, stayed rooted on spot, tears prickling in his eyes._

_Regina…_

" _Let her be." He ordered firmly._

_She spat the words with a mad sneer. "Never!"_

The fight between them had been harder this time, but as always, it ended up with him closing the door on her, unsuccessful.

How could he fight his beautiful Regina and take the risk to physically hurt her, especially now that he is certain he's fighting a demon and she's conscious underneath? He had been all wrong. He thought the demon was making Regina say this words and act this way, but it wasn't. Regina,  _his_ Regina, his love, isn't being controlled by the demon. She is locked up… She is here, praying for an escape, a diversion, something to allow her to be in control of her own body and mind.

But as her presence had been revealed to him, the knowledge that she was there, fighting, brought an idea to his mind.

It's risky.

He might fail.

And if he does, he will bring the entire kingdom down with him.

But it's the only option.

Regina always believed their love was stronger than anything else. Now is time to prove her he believes it too. Now is time for  _her_  to prove she was right.

"What do you want to do, master?" Ezra asks.

Robin looks straight ahead, to the horizon, his hands closing over the stone of the balcony.

"It's almost dawn."

Ezra gives him a confused look.

"I don't understand."

Robin exhales, turns towards the boy. "Leave. Evacuate the castle."

"Excuse me?"

Ezra's voice carries his incomprehension as well as his fear.

"You heard me. Take your family, and go spend a few days somewhere far from here. When you'll come back, you'll know."

"I'll know what?"

"Who won."

And Robin steps back.

xxx

He opens the door, and as expected, she's here. Sitting in her usualcorner, she turns her head slowly towards him, this wicked smirk he hates so much plastered on her face.

"Is this a courtesy visit, or do you want to have some fun?"

"Last chance. Let Regina be. Let her come back to the surface."

"What if I refuse?"

Robin enters the room completely, his demeanor straight and his voice steady.

"Then I'll have to take care of you myself."

"As if you ever succeeded until now."

"You don't know what I'm capable of."

"Well… Let the fight begin!"

She's on him in less than a second, projecting him to the ground, the stones of the castle resonating with the impact, pinning him down.

"You can't touch me. You can't  _hurt_  me. I remind you too much of  _her_." She spits. "That's your weakness."

"That's where you're wrong.  _She_  is my  _strength_. I love her too much to give up on her."

He startles her when he projects her backward, sending her against a wall, and she's stunned, but not enough to be stopped.

"Hard way then?" She questions.

"Whatever it takes."

"Very well."

Robin receives her body as she's running at full speed, and he finds himself hitting the door, the strength of the blow along with his height completely destroying it as he falls on his back on the ground.

"How are you going to stop me now that I'm out?" He hears her say from her position above him.

"Oh, trust me, I'll find a way!"

He's chasing her in the stairs a second later, running fast to catch up on her, and it's not until they reach the main hall that he succeeds.

He catches her arm, startling her and making her lose her balance, and as she falls, she brings him with her. He lands on top of her, knocking the air out of her lungs. He gets a good hold on her hands, ready to pull her up, but she surprises him, her knee crashing between his thighs, giving him no other choice but to release her as she pushes him to the side and he recovers from the pain spreading in his body.

He's up to his feet in an instant later, but she has stricken him in the stomach before he can realize, continuing with a blow to the face, then grabbing his arm and using it as a leverage to send him across the room, making him land several feet away.

She's on him before he's up, sending him blow after blow, not giving him a moment of rest, putting all her rage, all her anger, all her-

Robin catches her wrist unexpectedly before receiving an umpteenth blow, using it to push her to the side quickly as he adds a punch in her stomach, her body sliding along the perfectly smooth floor, giving him a second to recover before they're facing each other again.

"Still not giving up?"

"Never." He answers.

"Good. I'm not quite done with you yet."

She jumps on him, gripping each side of his face, but Robin is faster, closes his hands around her waist and forces her to let him go, projecting her against the dresser in the hallway, the wood shattering and breakingin pieces.

There's traces of her nails tearing his face apart, blood and bruises over his skin, but Robin is determined.

This is going to end now.

He glances at a window covered with thick curtains, spots the slight trace of light beginning to surround it.

Just a few more minutes…

He runs to Regina, reaching her as she's getting up, winding an arm around her throat, blocking one of her wrists in her back.

"Last chance for you to return where you belong and let her be free."

A cackle resonates against his forearm, coming deep from her throat despite the pressure he puts on it.

"You think it's that easy?" She sneers. "It's too late. I am here, and the only way for you to get rid of me is to destroy this body. To kill your precious girlfriend." Robin stills behind her, sighs.

"Then so be it." He forces her up, can't help but press his nose and lips to her cheek, breathing her in… But this has nothing to do with his Regina. Her scent is gone. Her warmth is gone. "I'm sorry."

He heads for the main door, struggling against her to keep her with him, but she seems to have understood his intention.

She fights him harder, becoming agitated, her breath labored, and when he manages to reach the door and pull on the mechanism, letting it open slowly, his grip loosens, and she doesn't waste a second.

His back hits the ground hard when she throws him over her shoulder, her feet crashing on his chest, knocking the breath out of him and making him scream as he feels his ribcage break and pain spreads in his body.

"You really thought it'd be that easy?" He hears. "Just waiting for the sun to raise and turn me to ashes? Do you think I am that stupid?"

"No." Robin admits painfully, a hand over his broken chest. He can feel the bones slowly healing, but considering the damages she just made, it will take more than a few seconds. He just prays it won't be too late as he sees the sun beginning to peer over the hills surrounding his castle . "But it doesn't stop me from having hope."

"Hope?" She scoffs. "Hope doesn't exist. Hope is just a sweet illusion created to make people believe their miserable lives can be better."

She walks on him, glancing up to the sky, grabbing him by his arm and harshly pulling on it, dragging a powerless Robin across the entrance and towards the edge of the very large balcony running along the castle's main door.

"It's stupid, really." She says. "You and I, we could have been great together. We could have been the new rulers of this world. If only you had accepted me, instead of whining over your girlfriend."

"She-  _ooof_ " His lets out a painful cry as she releases him and it hits the floor hardly, shaking his fractured body. "She is worth it. She is worth being fought for."

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you this," she says, looking up at the sun rays beginning to envelop the land and slowly progressing towards the castle, making her take a step back to hide in the shadow of the hall. "But you lost the fight."

Robin looks up, understands what she's talking about, closes his eyes, tries to get up but the pain is too strong, his bones breaking and clattering with each new effort.

He gives up then.

His chest is crushed and though the healing is working, he knows he doesn't have enough time to be able to escape before the light has reached him.

It's not on him anymore. He did everything he could.

He just hopes that, if he fails, someone will stop her.

"I love you." He murmurs.

"I told you. Love is weakness." She states .

"No," Robin corrects in a voice that begins to tremble. "It's strength."

And as light makes its way towards them, as it is about to reach  _him_ , Regina feels something hit her, something  _shake_  her.

She stares at his body lying still on the ground, and a force is pulling her forward, working against her will, her body shaken once more, and she presses a hand over her chest, winces as the sensation comes back over and over again.

"What-"

Light is at the edge of the balcony, a few inches from Robin's foot, realization of what is happening striking her the second it reaches him, and Robin's scream as the sun burns him through his clothing has Regina reacting instantly.

" _Robin!_ "

She's on him in an instant, pulling at his hand, bringing him inside, away from the light, safe in the darkness of what is now their lives.

"Robin!" She calls again, releasing his body and moving to his side, kneeling down, a hand over his chest, the other caressing his face. "Robin, please! Look at me! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"

He opens his eyes, and stares at her with incredulity.

He faces a glowing, bright smile and shining brown eyes, tears prickling at the corner, some slipping free.

"I love you too."

It takes him a moment to realize, to understand the meaning behind the words, to feel the softness of the hand pressed against his cheek, the tenderness of her fingers running along his broken chest, the apology in her eyes.

His hand is on her collarbone, and that's when he feels it. A beat.

A  _heartbeat_.

He looks up at her in awe, hand sliding up to her neck, feeling the pulse of her blood running through her veins, the way it reappeared in his body as he fell he love with her years ago.

And then, words come back to him.

"It's you?"

The way she bites herlower lip as she nods, a strangled sob shaking her as she voices it, how she cups his cheek and runs her thumb along his hairline, makes him certain of the identity of the woman he's facing.

However, he can't help but ask again, more to ear it one more time than to confirm his certainty.

"It's really you?"

"Yes, Robin." She confirms "It's me. I'm here."

There's no second thought.

Despite the way his body is still painfully hurting him, he tries to sit up. Regina's hand presses on his chest softly to slow him as she tells him to be careful, he's hurt, but Robin doesn't care.

He cups her neck, and in one soft movement, brings her lips to his.

The soothing feeling of her lips against his wipes away all the pain, has his body quaking in her embrace. Theway her arm is wrapped around his neck to keep him close, how her other hand is gripping his shirt tightly, her tongue pressing against his, makes his head dizzy with a love so overwhelming he has to pull back to take a deep breath.

"I thought I lost you." He admits with a broken voice.

"I did too." She says, keeping him close, her forehead against his. "I tried so hard. I'm sorry, Robin. I swear, I tried to fight her, but she was too strong. It's only when we understood what was going to happen to you, that you were going to die, that she dropped her guard and I-"

"Shhh," he cuts her, playing with one brand of her hair. "It's ok. I'm fine now, and you are too. I'm-"

The way he breaks off has Regina look up at him, confused, until she sees it too.

It's the first time she sees him like this, but the way Robin's face is drown under daylight makes his features shine and his face become radiant, the blue of his eyes lighter than it's ever been.

Except when he's blinded by the sun and squints against it.

"How is this possible?" He murmurs, staring around them, noticing that they are both surrounded by the light which entered the castle through the still open door, realizing that his whole body is moving normally, no residual pain lingering within his chest, the healing done.

Regina follows his gaze, as confused as he is, not realizing, until…

"The kiss."

Robin's head snaps up. "What?"

" _Our_  kiss," she repeats. "I felt something… Different, when it happened. I don't know, it's hard to explain. But I wasn't like anything I've experienced with you before."

Robin remembers his own sensation when he finally, after months of torture starring at his love without being able to be with her, was able to press his lips to hers.

It had been so overwhelming, so exceptional. So…

"Magical." He says.

"What do you mean?"

"There's something Ezra told me a few weeks ago," Robin explains, adjusting Regina in his arms, sitting up more fully and holding her against him, enjoying the warm feeling of sun rays upon his skin. "When I was losing hope to save you from… from what I did to you-"

"Robin," Regina cuts him. "Whatever you heard me, or…  _her_ say, you're not to blame for this. You only tried to save me. I was the one too weak to fight this demon."

"But you did fight it. You came back to me." He brushes a strand of hair away from her face, smiles when she leans into his palm. "Ezra told me that true love is the most powerful magic of all, that he was certain the love we share could overcome anything. So I took a bet." Robin reveals. "I knew you were trapped, that you needed help to beat her, and I thought that if I was about to die, maybe it would give you the strength and distraction necessary. That it would bring you back to me."

"You made her believe she had won on purpose?"

"Yes. I could've gotten rid of her if I wanted to, but I couldn't bring myself to rip you from your last chance to finally take control over her. I had faith that you wouldn't let her kill me. That you were going to save me."

"So, it means that you finally admitted the depth of my love for you?" she teases, nuzzling his cheek.

"I do." Robin looks ahead, to the blue sky and the blinding sun in front of them "And it seems that the universe has given us a chance to live this love right out in the open."

"Well, if true love can overcome anything, it surely can break any curse." She reasons.

She leans in, presses her lips to his, lingering there, breathing in softly as she runs her tongue along his lower lip, then exhaling as he welcomes her in his mouth.

Robin's hand closes over the back of her head, keeping her to him, deepening the kiss, his other hand running along her back, feeling the warmth of her skin, and for once it doesn't contrast with the coldness of his own.

He forces himself to pull back, his forehead sticking to hers, his breath melting with hers, and when he opens his eyes, he smiles.

There is no more time to lose.

He brings a hand in the inside pocket of his coat, one that was luckily untouched during the fight –Robin was actually more in control than the demon thought he was- and brings a small box between them, catching Regina's attention.

"What is this?"

"Open it."

The corner of her mouth tip up in a curious smile, but she takes the small velvety box and carefully opens it, discovering itscontent.

She raises glassy eyes at him "How? I thought it was broken."

"It is." Robin answers. "Somehow." He points at the ring she now holds between her thumb and forefinger, helps her see the details of the stone "There's still a trace of where you…" He hesitates, corrects " _she_ broke it. But Ezra managed to put it back together."

"He did?"

"Yes."

"Did you know?"

"Not until a few hours ago. He gave it back to me before he left. He was certain I would made good use of it…"

" _Are you sure you don't need me to stay, master?"_

_Robin put a kind hand on the young man's shoulder, smiled warmly at him under who he knew was his mother's caring gaze._

" _I need you to stay safe. I'm going to release her, and I don't want to give her a reason to make more damages. Go! I'll be alright."_

_He received a small nod, and Ezra began to step away, but something stopped him, made him face Robin again._

" _Then let me give you something."_

_He plunged his hand inside the small package he took for the few days to come, revealed a small box he handedhis master._

" _What is this?"_

" _I wanted to wait until I come back, but I think you will need it today."_

_When Robin discovered the repaired engagement ring, the one Regina split in two weeks ago, he looked at the man with a gratefulness he thought had left him when Regina was swallowed in the darkness._

" _I'm sorry, it's not perfect, I did what I could with my uncle's tools, but-"_

" _Thank you." Robin looked up from the ring to the man in front of him. "Thank you. For everything. It's been a long time since someone else than Regina had faith in me the way you do. I'm glad to have such a caring friend."_

_Ezra opened his eyes wide, not believing it._

_Since Ethan died centuries ago, despite the fact that his family had stayed at Robin's service, not once did the powerful lord of the night called anyone else his friend._

" _Thank you, master. It's a honor."_

_But Robin puts a hand to his shoulder. "No, Ezra. The honor is mine."_

Regjna smiles, turns the ring between her thumb and forefinger, thoughtful. "I've always liked this boy. He's kind and willing to help, eager to do anything possible to please others."

"You can thank him when you see him. He helped me not giving up on myself, convinced me that I was stronger than I thought, that I had the power to bring you back. He has an endless faith in you, in us, believes in our love maybe more than we do."

"I certainly will."

Slowly, without a warning, Regina slips the ring to her finger, admiring the way it shines with the light, how beautiful it is at her hand.

"I didn't even ask." Robin says, lifting an eyebrow.

Regina gives him an amused pointed look.

"As if all of this wasn't enough of a declaration."

Robin chuckles, a soothing warm feeling spreading through him as he recognizes Regina's fierce spirit. "True."

He brushes her cheek with the back of his hand, letting it slide down to her neck, then resting flat against her chest, right where her heart lies.

For a moment, he just feels, enjoys the freedom at being able to have a heart beating in the crook of his palm and not being forced to control the primal instinct screaming at him to rip it off the chest and drink directly from it.

"It's so weird." He admits lowly. "It was so long ago. I don't remember how it felt like to be human."

Regina smiles, understanding, kissing his cheek before getting up, taking hishand and pulling him up, then walking backward towards the balcony, Robin following.

She stops when she hits the edge, turns around and let's Robin's arms instinctively close around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder as he presses a kiss in the crook of her neck, making her shiver.

She contemplates the landscape ahead of them, the infinite beauty of nature, the forest to their left and mountain to their right, and most of all, what's shining right in front of them.

She cranes her neck just enough to be able to look at Robin and see his beautiful face illuminated by daylight.

"Now, you can feel it every day. You might not be an immortal anymore, but I will make sure that you will taste every enjoymentbeing a human can give. Because, Robin, our life together has just begun."


	3. Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Afterlife and Lifeless, this OS concludes the trilogy by giving an insight in Regina and Robin's lives now that they are free from the curse and can have a human and normal life again.

"Daddy, catch me!"

The brunette runs across the meadow, ignoring her mother's calls of her name, heading straight for the carriage that arrived minutes ago.

Robin turns around, smiling at the sight greeting him, bends down and lifts the four years-old above his head, making her swing in the air "Like birds, daddy! I wanna be a bird!"

"Anything for my little princess." He answers, playing a little more before lowering the child, hoisting her to his hip.

"Faith Aurora Locksley!" The firm voice of Regina scolds as she joins them, slightly breathless, a hand supporting her large stomach. "What did I tell you countless times, young girl?"

The little girl looks down, her voice sheepish. "I don't run off and I listen to you and daddy."

"And what did you just do?" Regina tilts her chin up, lifts an eyebrow, noticing Robin's amused gaze, but she knows he's so crazy about their child she is the one who has to set the boundaries, and after a week away from his family, he surely doesn't want to scold his beautiful little girl the second he sees her.

"I don't listen."

"That's right. You  _didn't_ listen." She can't help but correct the mistake.

"But daddy is back, mommy!" The toddler reasons, making her parents laugh.

Regina brings a hand to wave in her daughter's hair, lovingly gazes at her husband. "Yes, he is, sweetheart. But it's not a reason not to listen to me, alright?"

"Okay, mommy. Sorry."

"Good girl. Now give a hug to your father. He surely has missed you very much."

Understanding that she's out of the doghouse, the brunette happily grins at her father, clutching to his neck.

"Miss you, daddy."

"My beautiful princess. I missed the two of you so much." Robin says as he accepts the hug willingly, holding his child close before turning to his wife. "How was she?"

"Adorable, as always." Regina answers with a smile. "She just turned the castle upside down."

"That bad?"

"Not worse than last time. But I'm worn out." She leans in his embrace when he opens an arm for her. "And I'm happy to see you." She presses her lips to his. "I missed you too."

Regina breathes out slowly, savors the feeling of her husband's strong arms around her, the warmth of his body, softness of his hand in her back.

They've come a long way. When they finally managed to get rid of the curse which had turned them into vampires, when they were both back to a human life and able to live fully, Robin's anguish didn't disappear right away. She couldn't blame him. After centuries of loneliness and constant fight against himself, he had to learn to be human again. After accepting who he was as a vampire, he had to now accept who he was as a human.

Planning their wedding itself had been a challenge. He wanted everything to be perfect and to her liking.  _Everything_. From the meadow where they would celebrate –now that he was able to be exposed to day light, his only wish was for the wedding to be outside, something she was more than happy to accept, but she still had to choose the location- to the color of the pillow carrying their rings. He wanted to give her the wedding she always dreamt of, and to be honest, he more than succeeded in his task, even if he had been impossible about it in the beginning.

" _Robin, this is your wedding too, you know?"_

" _But I want it to be perfect." He insisted. "I want you to have everything you ever wished for. So tell me!" He held several menus in front of him. "Roasted turkey with smashed potatoes and asparagus or swan cooked in his juice with vegetables?"_

_Regina rolled her eyes. "Do you have any preference?"_

_Robin lifted an eyebrow and smirked "I haven't eaten any of this in centuries, my love. I don't even remember how it tastes."_

" _You've been human for months now. You must have an idea." She pointed._

" _But I want_ you _to choose!"_

_Regina sighed, relented, came closer and grabbed the papers with the detailed menus of the last two meals left after they eliminated the other options offered by their cook._

_She looked at them more closely, the appetizers, sauces, meats, sides, desserts, and held back the papers with a determined look._

" _The turkey. I'm not the biggest fan of swans, and I'm not certain our guests will like it either. The turkey is a sure thing, and everyone loves it."_

" _Alright. The meal is settled. What about the music? Do you prefer a classic quartet or local music."_

" _What do you like?" Regina questions._

" _I've never listened to music a lot." Robin shrugs._

" _You're going to find an excuse every time to escape from giving your opinion, are you?" Regina pointed, sitting on the edge of his desk._

_Robin laid a hand on her thigh, stroked gently. "I told you. I want this wedding to be perfect."_

" _For_ me _!" Regina reminded. "But what about_ you _? I don't want you to have any regrets because you… I don't know… absolutely wanted to taste swan and I chose turkey instead."_

_Robin laughed softly. "I'm pretty certain I would have hated the swan actually, so you saved me here." Regina was about to argue again but he cut her by getting up and facing her. "The only condition for this wedding to be perfect to my eyes, is to have you saying yes when the priest will ask if you want to become my wife."_

_Regina leaned forward, grinning. "Then you'll have the most beautiful wedding ever."_

_Robin brushed a strand of hair away from her face, glanced down at her lips. "That's all I'm asking for."_

_And he pressed his lips to her._

Regina smiles against his chest. Their wedding was more than perfect. Utterly amazing to be honest, beyond everything she ever wished or imagined.

And quickly after, she learned that she was pregnant. Thinking of it, she actually believes that Faith was conceived during their wedding night, despite the fact that they had made love quite regularly during the months between the day the curse ended and the actual ceremony.

The little girl is everything Regina ever wanted. Strong, beautiful, with a bright mind and free spirit. A little too energetic sometimes, an endless bundle of joy and laughs, always running and asking for attention, but Regina loved Faith from the moment she realized she was pregnant.

And she knows that Robin, despite his fears, was completely smitten with his daughter since the very beginning.

" _Robin, please, calm down!"_

_Regina grabbed his hand, forced him to still his pacing. She cupped his face with both her hands, made him look up at her._

" _There's no reason why you would be a bad father. You were a father once. This time isn't different."_

" _I'm not the same man as I was, Regina. I've done so many things since… And Roland… I wasn't here for him when he needed me the most."_

" _The situation is different. You couldn't have known about Roland's sickness, and the story doesn't have to repeat. You've changed, and for the better. You're such a good man-"_

" _But I wasn't always-"_

_Regina gave him a look so firm and talked in a voice so determined that she shut him up instantly._

" _Stop living in the past! Yes, you did terrible things, but you came back from them. Robin, you were a vampire when you fell in love with me, and you never hurt me in any way. If so, you were even more thoughtful than any other man would have been. You_ saved _my life. You were ready to sacrifice yourself for me!" She reminded. "It won't be different with our child. You were an amazing father to Roland. You'll be an amazing father to this one too." She said in a softer voice, a hand covering her still flat abdomen. "Who you were once doesn't define who you are now. Ask anyone at the castle. Ask Ezra! Even with them, you changed for the better. So please, my love, stop being afraid of yourself!"_

_She stuck her forehead to his, let him wrap his arms around her waist, taking a deep breath._

" _I want this child so much, Regina. Believe me, I'm not regretting it in the slightest."_

" _I know." She whispered._

" _You've already given me a new chance at love, and in life. And now you're blessing me with a child. You have no idea of how much you did for me. I'm just scared to blow everything up."_

" _You won't." She assured, giving his neck a gentle squeeze. "And if it makes you feel better, I'm terrified too."_

_Robin looked up with puzzled eyes, pulling back a little. "You are?"_

" _Yes." She admitted with a shrug. "This is all new for me. Unlike you, I've never been married or had a child before. With each new step, I'm afraid to 'blow it up', but I take things as they come, and I have faith that the two of us together are strong enough to pass every ordeal. We already fought and won so many. And this," she took a step back, put both her hands on her abdomen, looking down at it, drawing Robin's gaze there too "isn't a fight. It's a blessing. It's a child that we will love from the bottom of our heart. It's a part of us. And I seem to remember that when we're working together, we kind of manage to create beautiful things."_

_Robin chuckled, pressed his hands on top of his wife's, and nodded. "We sure do."_

She was right. On the day Faith was born, Regina saw in her husband's eyes a love so intense and pure they shone in a way they never did before.

_Regina got up slowly, her body still sore from the hours of contractions and efforts it took her to give birth to her daughter._

_She wrapped a robe around her, joined her husband on the other side of the bedroom, leaning against his back and looking over his shoulder at their baby peacefully sleeping in her crib._

" _I just can't bring myself to look away." He whispered. "She's perfect."_

" _She is." Regina agreed._

" _It's strange. I thought I'd never love someone the way I loved Roland." He admitted. "I mean… I loved Marian, and I love you. More than I could possibly imagine. But my son… What I felt for him was different. It was… Beyond anything else. Unique. I was so sure I'd never experience this level of love again. And yet, it's exactly the same thing I'm feeling for our daughter." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm not making any sense."_

" _No, Robin." Regina assured, dropping a kiss in his neck. "I understand. I can feel it too."_

_He turned slightly towards her. "You do?"_

" _Yes." She moved forward, pressing herself against his side. "I love you with all my heart, but Faith… It's different. She's a part of me, of you. She is…_ unique. _" She said, looking down at the newborn. "I couldn't have understood before, but now that I'm a mother, I do. I know exactly what you mean."_

With each new day, their love for their child had grown exponentially, and the toddler's dimples and blue eyes combined with her silky dark hair, giving her an angelic face, only increased the adoration they have for her.

Not that they are passing her every attitude or mischief, but one smile from her is able to make their hearts completely melt.

So the prospect of a new child to come, reason why Robin cancelled all of his business trips for the next two months, is definitely adding to their happiness.

Robin kisses Regina's forehead, his hand heading for her swollen abdomen. "How is this one doing?"

"Very good." She answers, caressing the curve of her stomach. "The birth woman is fairly certain that it's a boy."

"What do you think?"

Regina gives him a shy smile. "I think she might be right. Not that there are many options, but this pregnancy is different from when I was carrying Faith. Or maybe this child is just a lot calmer than its sister. Which, I have to admit, is perfectly fine by me."

Robin chuckles, watches his wife rub their daughter's back kindly, cupping her cheek when Faith looks at them, her energy coming back instantly.

"Wanna play hide and seek!" She exclaims, wriggling to be put down, grabbing one of her mother's and one of her father's hand and dragging them towards the castle, where a few servants are waiting for them.

"Slow down, young lady!" Robin says. "Let daddy say hello first."

"But I want to play!" She insists.

"Faith!" Robin says firmly, stopping his daughter's protest. "Give me five minutes. Then daddy will play with you."

"Okay." The girl relents, sighing but knowing perfectly that if she insists, she will lose some play time with her parents.

Robin bends to Regina's ear. "And mommy will lie down for a nap." He presses a kiss to her temple. "You look exhausted, my love. Take a break, I'll take care of our little storm here."

Regina smiles gratefully, nods, keeps a hold on her daughter's hand and running her fingers through the child's long hair while Robin is talking with their servants, joining Ezra, who became his right hand and first adviser, as long as main attendant of the castle when Robin has to leave for business.

"Welcome home, master. It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Ezra. Was everything okay here?"

"Yes. We just received a few contracts you need to take a look at, but nothing that requires immediate attention. You can spend some time with your family, relax for the rest of the day. You had a long road. We can check everything tomorrow if you wish."

"That's perfect! Thank you for everything."

Robin Faith's free hand, smiles at his wife, and enters the castle with his family, greeting the people they meet on their way to their chambers. He stops Faith in front of his bedroom, faces Regina and cups her chin tenderly, leaning in for a soft kiss.

"Get some rest. I'm here now, you can relax."

Regina hums softly "Sounds perfect."

He crouches in front of his wife, presses a kiss to her stomach, hands moving along the curve to catch a movement or a kick. "Get some sleep too, my baby. I'll spend some time with you in a moment." As if agreeing, the child hits its father's palm, making Robin smile and give another kiss to where the baby lies.

"You're not coming, mommy?" Faith asks when he gets up, sounding disappointed.

Regina bends down the best she can with her more than large stomach –the baby is due for the next month, so some positions have become a struggle, but she manages to kiss her daughter's head.

"Not this time, sweetheart. Mommy needs to lie down a bit. You'll play with daddy in the meantime."

"Okay." The girl wraps her small arms around her mother's legs, her face pressing against her belly, where she knows her little brother or sister is growing, and she murmurs "Goodnight, baby." Then she looks up at her mother "Goodnight, mommy."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Have fun!"

As Robin watches his wife disappear behind the door, as he feels the excited pull of his daughter on his hand, leading him towards her bedroom, he can't help but think of everything he went through to get to this moment.

And he thinks that the curse that hit him and kept him ' _alive'_  for so long, in a way, as he thought it was a malediction, in fact resulted in giving him the life he always dreamt of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story! Do not hesitate to share your thoughts about it!


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